XCOM: The First War
by Valkyrie419
Summary: The chronicle of a playthrough of XCOM Enemy Within, including missions, downtime with the troops and research and engineering shenanigans. Criticism is most welcome. Hopefully I shall segue from this to XCOM 2 when it comes out and write about that too
1. Operation: Devil's Moon

The objects, referred to by XCOM personnel as 'abduction devices' or 'a-pods', rained all over the world, falling heavily in densely populated areas. One such area, Cologne, was the site of XCOM's first contact with the aliens which would bring so much calamity to Earth. Operation Devil's Moon. The import of such a mission weighed heavily on the de facto leader of Delta Team, an American by the name of Cory Cook, who deliberated the impact this mission, and indeed the invasion as a whole, would have upon his planet as he pounded through the metal corridors of XCOM HQ, leading his 4 man team first to the armoury, then onto the prototype VTOL transport which would whisk them off to European soil and uncertainty. Falling into step behind him, Delta 2, the brash Argentinean Hektor Valdez grinned, he'd been training for months for such an eventuality and was eager to get to grips with humanity's unknown enemy, his aggression a holdover from his days running with the drug gangs in Buenos Aires, as was the short shaven mohawk style that adorned his scalp.

As the squad clattered into the armoury, Dmitry Malakhov, a stocky Russian trooper, designated Delta 3, stomped over to his locker and methodically pulled on his armour and retrieved his assault rifle, XCOM's 6.8mm G45, along with a single high yield fragmentation grenade. He scanned the room as he strapped on his webbing and loaded in several magazines, noting his fellow team members mannerisms as they locked and loaded. The softly spoken Japanese Chiyoko Nishimura, Delta 4 mirrored Malakhov's icy calm, but whether this was only a projected aura of serenity or genuine, he could not tell. Glancing over to the team leader, Cook, he noticed a slight tremble to the American's practiced movements. He was more nervous than he let on. Finally, the Argentinean, Valdez, fell under Malakhov's hooded gaze. He was blustering about his days back in the favelas. The fool was unready, cocky. He would not last long. Dmitry finished loading his webbing and caught Cook's eye. They nodded to each other and Cook called out, "Let's move Delta team!"

And move they did, jogging past the hologlobe at the centre of mission control, Valdez throwing Central Officer Bradford an ironic salute, a gesture the taciturn officer did not return, merely nodding. Valdez grinned wider as the squad passed by and stopped just shy of the Skyranger's ramp. The Commander was waiting for the team. She turned her gaze from the transport to look each member of Delta Team in the eye, before addressing the unit as a whole. "Lady and Gentlemen, today we stand on the precipice of a new war with an unknown enemy which seems inconsiderate of civilian casualties and vastly technologically advanced." She paced in front of the squad as she spoke, never once breaking eye contact with the members of Delta Team, "You're being deployed to Germany in response to a distress call by one of their recon teams, Central will brief you in detail en route. Whatever happens out there, you do your damndest to come back in one piece. I have a feeling we'll need each and every one of you before this war is over. Good luck Delta Team," the Commander snapped to attention, saluting the team, who crisply returned her gesture, "Give them my regards," dropping her arm with a half smile. A chorus of "Aye Ma'am" echoed from the Skyranger as Delta strapped in and the craft, callsign 'Big Sky', drew up its access ramp and fired up the engines, ascending rapidly into the darkening sky, before jetting off towards first contact.

"You are being deployed to Germany. At 1900 hours Zulu, several unidentified objects fell to Earth. After ruling out the possibility of a downed satellite, we now believe these objects to be extraterrestrial in nature. Shortly after impact, German officials received reports of mass hysteria and freak weather around one of the impact zones. Then things went dark. At 2100 hours, a chopper carrying a German military recon team went down in the area after they reported being fired upon. As you know, Germany is a member of the Council, and they have requested our assistance. Our mission is to assess the situation on the ground, ascertain the current status of the German recon team, and investigate the extraterrestrial objects. Central out." The import of Bradford's brief hung tangibly in the troop compartment of the Skyranger. Chiyoko Nishimura glanced around at her fellow teammates, noting their reactions to Central's information and comparing to her own, detached sense of calm. Cook looked controlled as he studied local information on his wrist mounted tablet which linked to XCOM's databases and satellite telemetries, along with those of council nations, this device was standard issue to all team leaders. Despite this controlled exterior, Nishimura noticed a slight tremor to his scrolling. He was nervous, but determined not to show it. She respected that. Looking across the compartment, she noticed Valdez animatedly regaling Malakhov with tales of his youth in the gangs, and how he couldn't wait to get to grips with the enemy. Nishimura looked into his eyes and noticed a manic fervour, masking his true feelings. The Argentinean was terrified and was attempting to cover it with bluster. A cover which fooled neither Nishimura nor apparently the Russian as he caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow. All conversation was stifled as the Skyranger began to slow. They had arrived.

The troopers lurched in their harnesses as the VTOL transport circled the site of the crashed German team, the holoscreen at the fore of the craft displaying the chaos of the forced landing. Fire and smoke billowed around the listed NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter. The scans picked up no heat signatures, human or otherwise, nor could the team see any bodies. After a brief exchange between Big Sky and Central, the craft lurched down towards the soaked pavement. Delta Team was unclipped and ready to move out as the Skyranger's wings rotated to their landing position and the ramp slowly lowered. The squad stifled a collective gasp as they caught their first glimpse of the once great city. The darkness of the night was ruptured periodically from above by the brilliant flashes of lightning brought on by the extraterrestrial objects arrival, and by the glare of abandoned emergency vehicle lights and the flames engulfing the German helicopter on the ground. Shaking himself out of the stupor, Cook led the team out of the Skyranger, himself and Valdez taking up overwatch positions at the foot of the ramp as Malakhov and Nishimura moved between them and moved towards the area of operations proper. The AO itself was a square, built around a statue of a blind woman holding a sword and a set of scales which Cook assumed was Lady Justice, an assumption backed up by the large courthouse to the right of the team. Ahead of them, beyond the statue was a large brick warehouse. "You getting all this Central?" Cook whispered into his mic, his voice almost drowned out by the lashing rain and crackle of fire and lightning.

Back at XCOM HQ, Central Officer Bradford stood by the hologlobe, its usual display of the world replaced with a large screen, showing the destruction in Cologne through Cook's mission cam. The atmosphere of tension in mission control was dense, with every operative staring at the feed in disbelief. Doctor's Shen, the head of XCOM's engineering department, and Vahlen, leader of the research and development department stood alongside Bradford and the Commander, their faces masked in calm, whereas each felt exactly as the operatives looked. With apprehension, Central responded to Delta, "Copy that Delta 1. Let's get you out of the open and into cover, whatever did this could still be out there." His words sent a ripple of shivers through the room. "Delta 1, move up to the police car to your 10 o clock. 2, cover by the statue, 3, to the red car, 1 o clock. Delta 4, overwatch. Move out Delta Team." The perspective of the feed switched from Cook to Malakhov as the trooper activated his mic. "Central, I have movement. 30 metres north of my position. Police vehicle." The soldiers gruff accent and blunt delivery belied his nervousness, shown on the holoscreen by a spike in his heartrate. "Roger. Move to the next vehicle to provide cover. Delta 4, go check it out. It's a long way from your position, and there's no cover in between so you'd better double-time it." ordered Bradford, signalling one of the operatives to change the feed to Nishimura's mission cam.

The native of Kyoto ran forward, trusting Malakhov's trigger finger should she find anything behind the overturned police van. "Seinaru jigoku..." she whispered, lapsing into her native language in shock. The side of the van was splattered with blood, with more running in rivulets, diluted by the thundering rain, from the weakly struggling German recon trooper with a huge slash in the side of his body. Blood even ran from his eyes, themselves a vivid glowing purple, forcing Nishimura to suppress a retch. "What do you see Delta 4? Report!" she could barely hear Central over her thundering heartbeat. She took a breath to steady herself as she watched the life seep out of the recon trooper and he slumped to the floor, his eyes faded. "Looks like one of the recon team sir. It looks like..."

"Hiilll...fffeeee..."

Nishimura snapped around to check her six, startled by the sudden, voice. Seeing nothing she backed into the cover provided by the police van, forcing the recon trooper from her mind. "Is that your man Delta 4?" Bradford said, the normally unflappable officer sounded worried. "Negative sir. That's someone else..."

"Hiilll...fffeeee..."

Bradford turned to Dr. Vahlen, herself a native German speaker. "What's he saying Doctor?" She turned and locked gaze with Bradford. "He is saying..." she took a steadying breath "Help me. That radio transmission is coming from somewhere north of the squad's current position. Based on its strength, probably from inside a structure" Bradford nodded, concerned at how pale the doctor looked. It was quite unlike her to be shaken. "Thank you Doctor. Delta, advance and infiltrate that building. And remember-stay in cover"

Cook nodded and signalled the advance, dashing forward to take cover by a white sedan, 15 metres from the warehouse. Valdez moved up to a bus shelter, noticing a stream of blood coming from within. He shivered slightly, blaming it on the lashing rain. "Central, I got a lot of blood here." Bradford again changed the feed to that of Delta 2's mission cam. "Roger. See where it's coming from" Valdez nodded uncertainly, and rounded the edge of the shelter. He, nor a few operatives at mission control, could hold back a retch or two. Within the shelter was the ruined form of another of the recon troops, this time, looking as though he had been ripped in two almost, his entrails lay in a pile in front of him and blood caked the floor and walls around his corpse. Steeling himself, Valdez spoke again "Central, I think I just found another one of the recon team. Or what's left of him. But this doesn't make sense...looks like he's been dead for a week." Valdez tried to ignore the corpse, but the flashing light of the damaged shelter kept drawing his attention back to the body. He turned away as Dr. Vahlen came over the radio. "Even more perplexing is the cause of death. It appears that he was eviscerated when something burst out of him from the inside." Valdez cast another disgusted gaze at the trooper and retched again. This was nothing like life in the gangs.

"Sir, I have visual on the object. Permission to approach?" called Malakhov over the comms net. He glanced out from his cover, eyeing the shimmering pod, narrowing his eyes at the infernal device. "It's the only cover between you and that building," replied Bradford, "Permission granted". Malakhov dashed forward, covering the 50 metres to the object swiftly. He noticed an odd humming emanating from the object, accompanied by a pulsing green light atop it. His gut told him this thing was nothing but evil, and his gut was rarely wrong. Malakhov was shaken from his thoughts as he spotted Nishimura moving level with him, crouched behind another police vehicle. "Okay people, let's get inside this building" Bradford ordered as Cook took up position beside one of the large windows of the warehouse. "In position. Looks clear" Delta 1 informed Central and the team. "Copy that. Get inside and get to cover" Bradford said, and Cook burst through the window, and into cover beside some pallet crates. "Delta 2, that door's in our way. Take it down" came Bradford's next order. "Solid copy" grinned Valdez as he sprinted for the door, barging straight through with his shoulder and slamming into cover behind a forklift. Malakhov cursed the Argentinean's bravado under his breath as he followed him into the building, taking cover adjacent to him beside some transport crates. As he peered around them, he spotted a standing recon trooper. "Central, we have eyes on the target," he then noticed the shotgun in his hands, "He's armed" Malakhov moved back into cover. "Copy Delta 3. Okay everyone, get into position nearby but do not approach." replied Bradford, the back of his neck prickling. This doesn't feel right, it feels like a trap, he thought to himself.

"Doctor, see if you can communicate with him. Tell him to drop his weapon" said Bradford as Nishimura moved through the door and into cover to the target's 11 o clock, hunkering down behind a pallet of barrels. "I will try," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she spoke clearly, "Hallo. Koennen Sie mich hoeren? Wir sind hier um ihnen zu helfen. Bitte lassen sie lhre waffen fallen." As the doctor broadcast over the squad's network, Cook moved up to the next stack of crates, moving swiftly but carefully so as not to disturb the target. The trooper did not respond to any of Dr. Vahlen's words. "He appears to be in shock" she noted. Valdez moved up to a position next to Cook as Central spoke again, "Keep your eyes open. I don't like the looks of this" Nishimura moved forwards into cover beside an industrial vault door. "Delta 3, move in and disarm him. Carefully"

Malakhov paced forwards slowly, keeping his weapon trained on the German at all times, slowing to a halt 3 metres in front of him. The trooper was holding a grenade as well as the shotgun. Malakhov grasped the light above him and directed it onto the troopers face. "My god..." he gasped. The troopers eyes were a iris-less purple, his face contorted into a sneer, the skin around his eyes discoloured as if it were bruised. Malakhov leaned around the trooper and gasped again. An alien stood behind him. It was small, grey with a huge cranium which house a proportionally huge brain. It put him in mind of the classic 'little grey men' of Roswell, yet horrifically distorted and even more horrifically, standing right in front of him, with purple lighting connecting it and the German trooper. Without warning, the grey pushed it's hand out, talons splayed. The lightning pulsed and the trooper snapped up his shotgun and blasted Malakhov in the gut. At this range, even his body armour did little to help and his abdomen was opened to the elements. He fell back silently, the shot barely registering as the air was forced from his lungs by the impact. Instantly, the trooper raised his arm and flipped the spoon off the grenade, shredding himself and Malakhov in its high explosive blast. A chorus of 'Man down' rang through the building as the troopers clicked off weapon safeties and readied themselves for a fight.

Cook turned to his left and was greeted with his first and last sight of the invaders. A small grey alien rolled around the corner of the crates he was sheltered behind and fired a burst of brilliant green plasma from a wrist mounted weapon. The blasts hit Cook in the neck, arm and torso and he was thrown backwards, shrieking briefly with agony before his body gave out and he landed in a heap beside Valdez. "Holy shit! He's down! Delta 1 is down!" Valdez shouted. He heard Nishimura call from across the building. "Central, we're taking fire from multiple x-rays!" she shouted, ducking lower behind her cover as bursts from a second alien's weapon whistled over her head. "This guy's got me pinned down, taking heavy fire!" Barely hearing Central's orders over the fire fight and his own pounding heart, Valdez ran to her aid, taking cover behind the barrels between her and the x-ray. He raised his rifle and fired a 4 round burst as they had been trained. The 6.8mm rounds tore through the alien, sending chunks of amber viscera across the floor as it toppled with a shriek. Nishimura nodded her thanks to the shaking Valdez as she readied a grenade. Running across the warehouse she dived behind the cover of a stack of barrels to the 8 o clock of the other alien and rolled the grenade just behind the crates, allowing herself a small smirk as the explosion destroyed the boxes and the alien both. Her smirk didn't last long as she wrinkled her nose at a sudden burning smell. She looked down to see a gaping, smoking hole in her chest. She glanced over her shoulder at the x-ray which had loped out of the darkness and fired on her from behind. Nishimura had never thought she would die this way as her vision darkened and she slumped to the cold floor. "No! God no please!" cried Valdez, tears blurring his vision as he fired wildly at the new contact, blasting holes in it's cover and it's body. He fired until the magazine was empty, the alien's body a ruin of vermillion blood and holes. "Central...I...I think that's it. It's over..." Valdez steadied himself on the vault door, glancing around at the chaos and his dead squad. He had been wrong, this was exactly like life in the favelas. His família was lying slain all around him once again. Blinking through his tears, he carried the bodies of his fallen comrades one by one into the Skyranger. Delta 1, Cory Cook, the soft spoken and soft hearted American who had taken Valdez under his wing. Delta 3, Dmitry Malakhov, who was such a solid trooper, who could always be depended on. And Delta 4, Chiyoko Nishimura, the quietest member of the unit, but nonetheless a vital part of Delta. He lay their bodies reverently in the hold of the Skyranger, said a quick prayer for forgiveness and unholstered his sidearm.

"Delta Team were the first casualties of this war. And I don't expect them to be the last." the Commander intoned. She, Bradford, Shen, Vahlen and the remaining 3 4-man teams were gathered at the memorial wall, which now bore the names and faces of the late Delta Team. "They paid the ultimate price to help save our planet. We will not let that be in vain. A moment of silence please" All present, bowed their heads. After a moment, Central signalled the few base staff present and a piper began playing Amazing Grace as the coffins bearing the bodies of Delta Team began a procession past the troopers. All stood to attention and saluted their fallen brothers and sisters as they passed. Whence they had left the room, the piper fell silent and the klaxon sounded. Another abduction was in process. "General quarters boys and girls. Sword Team, I want you prepped and in the air in five," Emily Martin, the Australian team leader crisply saluted and began leading her troops to the armoury. "Sorry to cut things short, but we've got a world to save. Carry on" the Commander saluted the room once, then left, headed for her office, a single tear dripping down her face.


	2. Operation: Final Hymn

"The extensive damage and loss of life suffered during Operation: Devil's Moon is unacceptable Commander" the huge videoscreen boomed in the situation room of XCOM HQ, in which the Commander and her executives; Bradford, Shen and Vahlen stood, the shrouded figure of the head councillor shaking his bald head slightly, his voice dripping with disdain. Bradford in particular felt this disappointment, he had been given operation command by order of the Commander whilst she had been occupied liaising with council nations for the scientists, engineers, troops and resources they would require to stymie the alien invasion. And he had failed her, losing the entirety of Delta team on XCOM's first operation. No wonder the Council felt uneasy at handing over the defence of Earth to the project. He snapped out of his internal guilt and refocused on the exchange between the Commander and the councillor. "Central Officer Bradford held operational command did he not?" asked the councillor.

"Yes sir but..." the Commander began

"Then the failure is his, therefore this council suggests that he is at the very least demoted, and a more suitable officer be found to fill his position"

"With all due respect, _sir_ , I am quite capable as an intelligence and tactical officer. There was no way of knowing what we would find at Alpha site, no way to know what events would have taken place. Therefore I suggest that you take a step back and reconsider your suggestion. Sir." Bradford spoke calmly but every syllable dripped with venom. Eyes around the room widened, the Commander raised an eyebrow and suppressed a smirk. Then she quashed such immature thinking and spoke herself.

"Central, shut your mouth. That's an order" She did not shout, but her voice was commanding. Bradford visibly recoiled at the rebuke and hung his head. "Councilman, we will take your suggestions on-board and report back in a month's time as requested."

"See that you do. We look forward to seeing your progress Commander." the councilman intoned as he leant forward and pushed a hidden button, cutting the communication between him and HQ. As soon as he was off-screen, the Commander nodded to Shen and Vahlen, indicating they should return to their posts and stepped over to Bradford. The officer had slid down the wall and was now sat on the floor with his head in his hands. The commander squatted down next to him and spoke gently to him, "You okay Dustin?" Bradford dropped his hands at the Commander's rare use of his first name, his eyes puffy and red.

"Commander I failed you. I failed Delta. I failed Earth. The councilman is right."

The Commander shook her head and pulled Bradford to his feet, "You haven't failed anyone, and he's really wrong. Politicians don't understand operations like we do, and none of us yet understand the kind of ops we're going to have to run, the kind of sacrifices we're going to have to make. The only thing the last op proved is lacking is the way we tackle operations," the Commander led Bradford back towards mission control as she spoke, "From now on we're leaving operational command to the team leader on the ground. They'll know more than we do about what they're facing and they can act faster than we can. I still want you in here where you belong Bradford. You'll be providing intel and tactical advice if strike-lead wants it. Sound good?"

The pair stopped in front of the hologlobe, and Bradford snapped a salute to the Commander. "Aye ma'am, I'll get it done...thank you." The Commander returned his salute and span on her heel and headed for the hangar.

"No need to thank me, you're the best for the job." Now she went to break the news to Sword Team's leader that he was responsible for the outcome of the mission.

The Commander's brief words before Sword Team dusted off weighed heavy on Chase Wallace, a Brooklyn kid, born and bred. Despite their almost opposite characters, he and the late Cory Cook had been close friends and Chase felt the loss keenly. He snapped out of his reverie as the sound of Central Officer Bradford's voice filled the Skyranger's hold and the holoscreen to the fore of the craft snapped into life as Central began his briefing. "We're deploying you to Egypt for this operation team, Port Said specifically."

"I hear it's lovely this time of year." piped up Sword Team's number 2, the Irishman Caden Kerrigan with a smirk. The rest of the squad glanced at him with a mix of amusement and annoyance before returning their attention to Central, the officer himself having raised an eyebrow at the trooper's cocky nature.

"We've got an alien abduction in progress, multiple hostile signatures detected along with some unusual energy readings that Dr. Vahlen would like you to investigate. Central out" Bradford concluded his brief and the holoscreen blinked off, leaving the troop compartment bathed in red light.

"Well. We wouldn't want to disappoint the good doctor would we chaps?" drawled James Thompson, the Australian's broad accent breaking the silence that had fallen in the Skyranger. He grinned beneath his wide-brimmed slouch hat, a hat which was not strictly regulation, but Thompson was a skilled enough trooper that command overlooked it. A chorus of quiet laughter rippled in the wake of Thompson's comment. A chorus Wallace did not join, he was focussed on Sword Team's fourth member, the Greek Sabastian Galanos. He had said nothing since they had left HQ, but had instead spent the trip inspecting his gear and staring at the opposite wall of the transport. The deceleration of the Skyranger swiftly silenced the trooper's laughter as they prepared to touch down.

The VTOL touched down next to the entrance of a graveyard, a recent addition to the city, courtesy of the Council. An ominous sign, Galanos thought to himself as the squad moved left out of the Skyranger, he himself taking cover behind an obelisk within a few metres of what he assumed was the source of the unusual energy signatures Central's brief had mentioned. He tapped his PTT button and spoke quietly, "Central, I'm seeing a pod up ahead. It's different to the others. Advise."

Back in XCOM HQ, Bradford was monitoring the mission feed, Dr's Shen and Vahlen flanking him. "That must be the source of the energy spikes we picked up" Vahlen spoke, her voice filled with unease. She had no idea the purpose of these devices, and not knowing something unnerved her worse than any other sensation she had ever encountered. The mission feed chopped to another view of the pod as Sword-2, Kerrigan spoke up.

"Hey, there's some kind of button on the side of it," the trooper whispered as he took position behind an ornamental bust of some long dead Egyptian. His observation of the pod was disturbed by a shrieking call as two of the diminutive grey aliens loped into view of the squad, their movements simian as they rolled into cover behind a row of gravestones, "Contact front!" he shouted, the team's cover blown.

Immediately Galanos ran from his cover, reacting faster even than Kerrigan who had first spotted the X-rays. He slid into cover behind a pillar opposite the pod, leaned around the corner and sent a five round burst of 6.8mm into one of the grey's who had the misfortune to peek out of cover at that moment. The small body was thrown back, spewing amber as it flew several feet backwards, half its face missing. Wallace followed swiftly, taking up position where Sword-4 had previously stood, training his rifle on the other hostile huddled behind the memorials of the dead, watching for any movement. Covered by Wallace, Thompson rushed from his cover behind a bench to the more solid protection provided by a small mausoleum as Kerrigan stalked over to the next bust, firing as he went, bullets slamming into the other alien and blasting chunks from the gravestones. The grey staggered but remained on its feet, viscera oozing from its wounds. It attempted to escape the vengeful XCOM team, but Wallace's rounds were faster, the American's expertly placed shots bursting the grey's head in a shower of vermillion pus. He grinned to himself, "Welcome to Earth!" he shouted as the squad moved forwards in unison.

As they stepped off, another cry echoed through the early morning twilight, signalling the arrival of two more grey's. An arrival, Thompson reasoned, prompted by their comrades summary execution at the hands of Sword Team. He saw them lope out of the large, church-like building in the centre of the graveyard, then take cover within as they spotted him approaching. He grinned as he walked slowly towards them, preparing a grenade and lobbing it just inside the doorway of the building. His grin widened as the aliens screeched and attempted to flee a second too late and their bodies were flung unceremoniously out of the doorway, one in several pieces, shredded by the force of the high explosive. "Piece of piss" he whispered to himself as the squad swept through the rest of the graveyard, declaring the site all clear. Kerrigan and Galanos secured the crystals held inside the new pods, the Irishman doing so with no small matter of swearing. Apparently the crystals were bloody sharp.

"Well done boys, the Commander will be proud. First round's on me when we touchdown" Wallace congratulated the squad as they strapped back into the Skyranger and were homeward bound. He smiled as the powerful craft carried them back to HQ. By the book, he thought to himself, just like you would've wanted pal, and he sent up a silent prayer for his late friend and another for the rest of Delta Team.

The Commander was waiting in the hanger when Sword Team returned. "Well done chaps, damn good op. Wallace, Galanos, you two have been assigned new equipment based on your training aptitudes. I feel you'll approve. You as well Thompson, though I'm inclined to retract it if you don't ditch that bloody hat." she smirked as Thompson sheepishly doffed his hat, though she knew it'd be right back on as soon as she had left. "Kerrigan, take those crystals down to Dr. Vahlen please, and inform her I'd like her to begin examining the cadavers you lot brought back. Carry on." The Commander snapped a salute, which the team returned crisply before they headed off to continue their duties.

 **Mission Report-Operation: Final Hymn**

 **Location-Port Said, Egypt**

 **Time-0130 Zulu (0330 Local)**

 **Strike Team-Sword Team**

 **E-KIA-4x Unknown X-Ray-Codenamed "Greys"**

 **Resources Obtained-4x Weapon Fragments, 4x "Grey" Corpse, 20x Unkown Energy Source-Codenamed "Crystals"**

 **Casualties/WIA-N/A**

 **Promotions-** **Chase Wallace (Corporal), assigned 'Assault' class, Sabastian Galanos (Corporal), assigned 'Support' class, James Thompson (Corporal), assigned 'Sniper' class**


	3. Interlude 1

**Author's Note: These interludes are intended to provide some more flavour than just mission after mission and to build up characters. As such, they are not all in chronological order relative to the progress of the campaign.**

 **Research Notes-Dr. Isobel Vashlen-Project Mobius**

 **1st March 2015-** We received word from the Commander early this morning to commence researching the aliens biology. After receiving the corpses of the greys slain by Sword Team we began with a standard bilateral autopsy to hopefully glean some information on the aliens function and any way we can apply it to our research. A number of my staff had to leave the room when the cadaver was opened up due to its intense odour, a mix of crushed mint and soured milk.

 **4th March 2015-** After some study we have been able to map the alien specimen's genome and have come to the startling discovery that the alien's DNA is quite similar to our own. We will later execute the same procedures over to the other specimens recovered during Operation: Final Hymn

 **8th March 2015-** After the further study across all four specimens we have discovered what seems to be evidence of aggressive genetic engineering, far beyond any earthly capacity, due to the perfect mirroring of the genetic structure of all four specimens. I feel as though, despite the discoveries we have made, that we may only glean more information with the acquisition of a live specimen.

 **The Shot**

Thompson was sweating. Everything weighed upon this shot. His surroundings seemed so far away, his attention focussed solely on his target and his breathing. He took a deep breath, steadied himself and took the shot and grinned as the 8 ball rolled into the corner pocket with a satisfying clunk. Sword Team broke out into cheers as the previous New York state billiards champion was brought down by the Australian. Galanos grinned as Kerrigan begrudgingly handed over their agreed bet of 10 Council Credits, grumbling under his breath.

The team moved together, joking and jostling each other as they migrated to the bar, Wallace ruefully ordered Thompson his victory drink, a pint of Foster's, along with a round of the other trooper's favoured poison. He stood aloof from their chatter as he stared across the room at the memorial board, raising his glass to the memory of Cook, before returning to the camaraderie of Sword Team, and challenging the Irishman to a game of billiards to regain his reputation.

The base's klaxon's interrupted them and they stood tensed, ready for action, listening for the voice of their commander over the roar of the alarms. "Wakey wakey, boys and girls. We've got an induction in progress over in Houston. Widow Team, gear up and get to the Skyranger, dustoff in 5. Intel Staff to your posts, everyone else, as you were. Commander out."

 **Acquisition Proposition**

"You're telling me that we should risk the lives of our troops so we can take one of these things...alive?" Bradford spluttered with disbelief. He, along with Dr.'s Shen and Vahlen and the Commander stood around a table in the main R&D lab. He caught the commander's eye as he spoke, her expression mirroring his own thoughts.

"Yes, without a live specimen, I'm afraid we've reached the pinnacle of what my team is able to accomplish" Vahlen replied without batting an eyelid, the German scientist's icy gaze matching Bradford's stare across the table.

"And how do you suggest we DO this Doctor?" He retorted, folding his arms across his chest. He couldn't believe that the doctor would even suggest such a thing in a conflict which, though barely days old had already claimed 4 of their own troops and hundreds of civilians.

"The autopsy I've just completed confirms that the alien's physiology is quite similar to our own," as Vahlen spoke her fingers danced across the screen of her tablet, linked to the screen behind the Commander and Bradford, and pulled up a display of the x-rays encountered so far, their nervous systems shown in comparison to that of a human. "A highly concentrated electrical current delivered at close range should cause neuromusc..."

"Close range!?" Bradford almost shouted. He composed himself before speaking again, "And what happens if it doesn't work? Do you really think this is worth the risk?"

"I do." Shen spoke up, the Chief Engineer had been quiet up until this point, formulating and calculating his own opinion before speaking in his deliberate, methodical manner. "We do not know our enemy. How can we hope to stop something we cannot understand. If we can capture one of these creatures alive, we may be able to," he paused briefly, searching for the right word, "communicate with it."

Bradford's tone changed when he spoke next, "...and interrogate it. Find out what they want...where they're operating from." He nodded his approval, glancing at the Commander. She hadn't spoken during the entire exchange and Bradford knew she was thinking three steps ahead as usual.

"Yes. That possibility outweighs all risks, in my opinion." stated Shen, who along with Vahlen looked to the Commander for the final verdict. She sighed, stood up straighter and looked them all in the eye in turn.

"This is the only way forward it would seem. Our troops know the risks, they'll get it done right. Hopefully without too many casualties. Doctor's figure out a way to house one of those creatures and a way for us to capture them. Dismissed." She snapped a quick salute to them before turning on her heel and heading for the situation room. Bradford followed suit, leaving Shen and Vahlen to discuss the logistics of the capture.

"I could construct a safe enough facility to house our captive, but I do not know how we could possibly communicate with it." Shen sighed after hours of work down in his workshop, he glanced away from his finally completed schematics and back to his tablet communilink with Vahlen, who looked just as tired as he felt.

"Not to worry. I will see to that." she replied with a slight smirk before cutting the communication. Shen shivered a little and added Vahlen to the list of assets he was glad were not arrayed against him. It was a small list in comparison to the sheer number the aliens had already displayed.


	4. Operation: Lazy Grave

Juanita Rivera was scared. Not like a child is fearful of the night or the monster beneath the bed, nor like the fear of debt and the inability to provide for one's family, nor even the fear of bodily harm or death. Juanita feared for her world. She feared for the consequences of this war, what lengths XCOM may have to go to defeat the invaders, if they could be defeated at all. Such depressing thoughts tumbled through her head, even before the base's klaxon rattled her from the stupor she had been in. She stood shakily, a chill running up her spine as the commander's voice ordered her and her team to the hangar to respond to an alien abduction. She steadied herself, then exited her billet, running down her team's neighbouring billets, waking them quickly then ordering them to the armoury to gear up.

"Alright Widow Team, we're deploying you to the continental USA for this mission. Alien forces are in the AO, and we're reading energy signatures similar to the crystals recovered by Sword Team. If you can get hold of them, the eggheads want to take a look, but don't risk yourselves anymore than you have to. Central out." The holoscreen snapped off after Bradford completed his briefing, the harsh light of its display replaced with the dull red of Skyranger's transit lights. Michelle Gray, however, had barely been listening to XCOM's central intelligence officer. Her mind was focussed on their imminent return to her home state, the lone star state. She'd left against the wills of both her parents and her fiancé to join the army. She'd never looked back. Now, with the world coming down around their ears, she had never missed them more. She was jostled from her thoughts by the gentle thump of the transport touching down and she snapped into focus, standing alongside her teammates and heading out to face the invaders.

The team moved out of the Skyranger in tandem, Acting Corporal Rivera leading the way, followed closely by Ji Hye Yang, who took up overwatch positions to the right of their landing zone, in cover behind the parking signs of the diner which comprised the majority of the AO. Christina Gomez followed close behind, dashing to the corner of the building. As she peered around the corner, she heard the chittering shrieks of a couple of the grey aliens, 'Sectoids' the research team had called them. She was surprised they could hear her from across the diner, much more so due to their almost non-apparent ears. The creatures looked up from the body they were hunched over and dived for cover, one remaining behind the diner's counter and another bursting through the doorway and into the convenience store built adjoining the diner. Gray slammed into cover on the other side of the corner Gomez had taken cover behind, hoping to get a better angle on the aliens. As she did so, the alien in the store popped back into view, raising it's arm in the direction of the other. Purple lighting coursed around it's bulbous skull, following the course of the aliens splayed talons and wreathing the other creatwure, which then swiftly clambered up and over the diner's bar, taking 3 rounds in the side from Rivera with barely any effect before Hye Yang drilled another 3 round burst into it's skull, spraying vermillion gore across the bar and throwing the creature's body back from whence it came.

Gray and Gomez burst in through the diner's front door. Gray taking cover behind one of the crystal energy canisters in the middle of the seating area, and Gomez rolled behind one of the tables, lobbing a frag through the doors of the neighbouring store and blowing the Sectoid's cover to pieces, along with the alien itself. Rivera and Hye Yang followed them inside, taking up overwatch positions looking outside the diner and towards its rear doors. The team looked up in unison as footfalls sounded from the building's roof and seconds after, another two Sectoids burst in through the door behind the counter. One fled back outside, the other foolishly held it's ground in the door's opening. Gray secured the crystal energy source and moved to cover across the way from the door, firing as she went, ripping chunks out of the grey, putting it down hard. Gomez took up a covering position, looking out through the now cleared doorway, whilst Rivera and Hye Yang headed for the other door out onto the street.

Hye Yang nodded to Rivera and hand signalled a count of 3 before she kicked the door open and rushed outside and into cover behind a dumpster, aiming at the Sectoid from one position, though it had solid cover behind one of the a-pods scattered around the area. Rivera simultaneously burst through the door to the kitchen area behind the counter, intending to take cover by the door way. The alien had other ideas however, it's supernatural senses alerting it of her coming. It fired a burst from it's wrist weapon which destroyed Rivera's cover, leaving her in the open. Gray rushed to the undestroyed side of the doorway and rolled a grenade behind the alien, which barely had the time to register it's impending doom via high explosive before it was ripped asunder by the shrapnel.

"No more alien life signs in the area strike-team. Well done." Bradford's voice filled the squad network. Widow Team headed back for the Skyranger. All but one. Michelle Gray was too busy staring at the captured human in the kitchen. Their face was familiar. The face was that of her fiancé. A choked cry escaped her lips as hot tears welled in her eyes. She knelt next to him, saying a small prayer of forgiveness to him for her leaving, and then to God for what she would do next. The rest of Widow Team, standing at the foot of the Skyranger's ramp snapped their gaze back to the diner as they heard the sudden crack of a pistol shot. Before they could run over to see what had happened, Michelle was in the doorway of the diner. "Let's go" she said, her voice husky with emotion. The rest of the team stood by in confusion as Gray led them up the ramp. She didn't say a thing on the return trip, nor did she ever speak of what happened in the kitchen of the diner.

 **Mission Report-Operation: Lazy Grave**

 **Location-Houston, USA**

 **Time-0000 Zulu (2100 Local)**

 **Strike Team-Widow Team**

 **E-KIA-4x Sectoid**

 **Resources Obtained-4x Weapon Fragments, 4x Sectoid Corpse, 20x Unkown Energy Source-Codenamed "Crystals"**

 **Casualties/WIA-N/A**

 **Promotions-Ji Hye Yang (Corporal), assigned 'Heavy' Class. Michelle Gray (Corporal), assigned 'Support' Class. Christina Gomez (Corporal), assigned 'Assault' Class**


End file.
